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Vegan (& Gluten Free) Carrot Cake

This delicious vegan carrot cake is perfectly spiced and full of carrots, pineapple, coconut, raisins, and walnuts! The cake texture is fluffy and lovely too!

Course Cake, Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 675 kcal
Author Deborah Mesdag

Ingredients

  • 545 g (4 1/4 c) Gluten Free Flour Blend (made with The Plant Based Egg)
  • 10 g (2 tsp) Baking Powder
  • 10 g (2 tsp) Baking Soda
  • 5.0 g (2 tsp) Apple Pie Spice
  • 150 g (2/3 c) Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
  • 200 g (1 c) Vegan Sugar
  • 220 g (1 c packed) Vegan Light Brown Sugar
  • 8.0 g (1 1/4 tsp) Salt
  • 20 g (4 tsp) Vanilla Extract
  • 45 g (3 TBS) Unsweetened Applesauce
  • 30 g (2 TBS) Distilled Vinegar
  • 450 g (1 7/8 c) Silk Original Soymilk (or other plant milk)
  • 360 g (4 c) Grated Carrot
  • 60 g (5/8 c) Finely Chopped Walnuts
  • 120 g (1 c) Well-Drained Crushed Pineapple
  • 60 g (1 c) Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
  • 70 g (1/2 c) Raisins
  • 1.5 recipes Vanilla Buttercream
  • 1 c Additional Walnuts (optional)

Instructions

  1. Drain a can of crushed pineapple in a strainer, then firmly press the pineapple to get out as much liquid as possible. Weigh or measure it after you press out the liquid.

  2. Cut up your raisins. (Leaving them whole makes it hard to cut the cake.) I leave the smallest ones whole, cut the medium-sized ones in half, and the larger ones in thirds.

  3. Add the vinegar to the plant milk (I use Silk Original Soymilk) and stir together. This will curdle the milk and it will work like buttermilk in the recipe.

  4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. Add the baking powder, soda, and apple pie spice to the flour, then whisk it all together. (If you are using wheat flour, add The Plant Based Egg now as well.)

  6. Add the vegan sugar, vegan light brown sugar (I make my own), salt, vegan butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread), vanilla, and unsweetened applesauce to a large mixing bowl. Mix on high speed for three minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed.

  7. Add 1/3 of the sour milk and mix it in on medium speed. (Note that after each addition of the liquid, the batter will look curdled. This is expected.)

  8. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat it in on medium-low speed.

  9. Add half of the remaining liquid and beat it in, then add half of the remaining flour and beat it in too.

  10. Beat in the rest of the liquid. Finally, add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat again.

  11. Let your cake batter rest while you get your pans ready. (The batter needs to sit for ten minutes, so do this even if you got your pans ready beforehand.) Grease and flour three eight inch round cake pans. Trace around a pan, and cut out three circles of parchment. Line each pan with a circle of parchment.

  12. Your batter will have thickened up a bit while it was resting. Add the grated carrots and fold them in. Add the unsweetened coconut flakes, walnuts, well-drained pineapple, and the raisins. Fold them in as well.

  13. Divide the batter equally between the three prepared cake pans. (Weighing them is the best way to be sure they are equal.) Spread the batter out evenly.
  14. Put the pans in your oven, then immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the cakes for 38 to 42 minutes, until they are golden brown, the edges are pulling away from the pan, and the tops bounce back when lightly pressed (press the center of the cake). You can also test to see if a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

  15. Place the pans on cooling racks, and let the cakes cool in the pan for ten minutes before turning them out. Place a rack over a cake, hold on to both sides of the rack and the pan at the same time, and invert the cake still in the pan onto the rack. Remove the pan. Gently peel off the parchment circles, then allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling and frosting your layer cake.

  16. Frost and decorate your cooled cake layers as desired. It takes about 1.5 batches of my vanilla buttercream to frost and decorate a triple layer cake or to pipe large florets on 24 cupcakes.

Recipe Notes

  • To make this recipe with wheat flour, use the same amount of flour and add the equivalent of four eggs (19.2 g which is 2 TBS + 2 tsp) of The Plant Based Egg to the flour. Whisk together with the other dry ingredients. That is the only adjustment you need to make. (The liquid amount in this recipe has already been increased, so do not add extra as The Plant Based Egg package directions say to do. Those directions are only for recipes that include eggs and you are replacing them and veganizing the recipe with The Plant Based Egg.)
  • If you are gluten free, you will need to use Freely Vegan GF flour (not available yet) or make your own gluten free flour with The Plant Based Egg. Using the right egg replacement (and not using flour that contains xanthan or guar gum) is essential if you want the perfect texture in your cake. The Plant Based Egg replaces both gums and eggs in gluten free baking.
  • Note: You can also use this recipe to make cupcakes, and one batch will make 24 to 30 cupcakes depending on the size of your muffin tins. Line your pans with cupcake liners and fill them about 3/4 full with batter. Follow the same oven directions and preheat your oven to 375 degrees and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees as soon as you place the pans in the oven. Bake for about 28 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and they bounce back when lightly pressed. Let them cool in the pan for five minutes, then remove the cupcakes to a rack and let them cool completely before frosting them.